The Queen is Dead
by TheChippingFeels
Summary: When Snow White and Prince Charming execute Regina, Belle is let out of her prison and seeks her True Love. But what she finds may not be what she expected. RUMBELLE one chapter AU


**So I've had this idea for a while and decided to just go with it since I was inspired at the moment. This might delay the next chapter of Doesn't Ring A Belle but I'm still working on that. I'm not exactly sure if Regina's execution and Rumple's imprisonment were in the same time frame but whatever.**

 **Disclaimer- I do not own any characters**

"The Queen is dead!"

That was the sentence that Belle heard when she woke up in her prison cell, a cell that had kept her for nearly two years. Every morning she woke up to someone banging at the door to alert breakfast or more often the screams of one of Regina's victims, victims she sometimes shared a cell with the day before their execution. But this morning it was not the news of one of the Queen's victim's that awoke her.

"Queen Regina is dead! The Evil Queen is dead!" was hollered throughout the castle, the guards and servants were rushing about; there were clangs and clashes of metal doors being opened. Belle stood and rushed to the door, this was too good to be true. In the distance she heard someone, a man in black and red armor, but without his helmet, rushing up to her tower with keys in hand.

"Did you hear? Queen Regina has been executed! Everyone is free!"

Free.

Free.

Endless days of trying to escape and she was finally free. Belle almost didn't believe it, the door was wide open, there was no one stopping her. Belle slowly took a step forward, then another, she was out the door and ran out the stairs as fast as her legs could carry her.

 _Rumpelstiltskin I am coming to find you._

Her mind raced as she passed all of the other previous inmates and unwilling employees of the deceased Queen, the ground and the space felt overwhelming but she shook that off quickly. Belle found an exit and suddenly the warmth and light of the sun touched her. It was spring, at least she thought it was spring, it had been many moons since she had been outside her cell, outside the castle.

 _I'm going to find him, I have to find him._ These were the thoughts that cycled over and over, it had been almost three years since she had seen Rumpelstiltskin, three years since he cast her out, two years since the Queen had captured her.

"Rumpelstiltskin, Rumpelstiltskin, RUMPELSTITSKIN!" she called out into the air. She had tried this many times when she was in her cell, the Queen had obviously enchanted the castle so he could not hear her. Belle turned around, expecting the grey-green skinned man she had been missing for so long to appear. But he didn't.

 _The Dark Castle, he's got to be there._ Belle had no idea where she was, where the Dark Castle was, where anything was. She remembered the town she had arrived in after she left, Nottingham, she had had maps and books where she had documented her travels but the Queen had destroyed them in front of her eyes, she was on her own.

One foot, another foot, the journey would be a long one.

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The prisoner had been on the ceiling for a full day now, the blood was rushing to his head, clouding his thoughts and driving him mad.

 _Regina, dead, failure, Bae, curse, dead, failure, trapped, Bae, lost, magic, failure, Bae. Dead._

These were the pieces left of his once coherent thoughts, thoughts that made sense but had caused him pain and he had decided, were not worth it.

 _Bae, Regina, dead, lost, curse, Bae._

Every so often he would let out a maniacal giggle, the guard would turn and give a wary look, then often he would make a crude comment, about how it was ridiculous to fear this 'beast' and 'mad animal'.

The prisoner's grey and white curly hair was standing on end and swaying from side to side every so often, his arms were folded and his feet were hooked to a piece of metal on the ceiling. He could not use magic in his cell thanks to the Prince and Princess but he had found ways to occupy himself.

When the guard's shift was over he reported to the next man to fill the position, "He's even more crazy than yesterday."

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( _Nottingham)_

Belle had spent nearly two weeks going from village to village, asking directions to Nottingham, she didn't have any money so she could not buy a map but she had gathered enough information to piece together a mental one. She walked, hitched rides, and even stowed away on the carts of unknowing merchants. Day by day she grew closer to him, to the Dark One, to Rumpelstiltskin, her True Love.

When she was a prisoner of the Queen she spent her days chipping away at walls, thinking up escape plans, but in her mind most of the time she dreamed about him. She relived the time they had spent together, the kiss they had shared, her fantasy of her reuniting with him.

These thoughts were sometimes clouded, of the memory of him casting her out, of the reality of her imprisonment, of the thought that he no longer loved her. He would have come for her if he did. But the Queen would have no use for her if he didn't love her. This was the thought that brought her back to pleasant daydreams.

She could feel the Dark Castle's presence even though her was miles away. She had made her way to the town of Nottingham, she had traveled though so many villages and so many kingdoms in the past two weeks and none of them meant anything to her. Belle didn't want to waste any time, she had been separated from her True Love for too long.

Belle looked at the houses and shops surrounding her, they all looked the same but in the back of her head she had always kept an important detail, _behind the tavern, keep going north._

And with every step she felt closer to him, every tree she passed, soon she could see the castle.

And the fear filled her head, _what if he's forgotten me? He could have a new maid, he could…no, he wouldn't, I know he wouldn't._ She ran faster and faster as the castle grew closer. Days turned weeks turned months turned years of being separated from him, nothing would stop this.

Belle was ten feet away from the door, nine, five, three, one, there. The doors were taller than she remembered, she hadn't spent much time outside the castle but she remembered every detail. Every artifact, every room, every piece of furniture, her hand grasped the door and she pulled, it was locked. She knocked and waited to no answer. This would not stop her, she ran to the nearest window, the windows that were once covered in think curtains until she tore them down and brought light into his castle, into his life. The memory of him catching her and the feeling of being held in his arms was vivid and sweet, Belle peered through the windows but they were too dirty to allow her to see anything.

 _So he hasn't gotten anyone else,_ she thought, _he'll be at his spinning wheel like he always was, trying to forget, he'll be there._

Belle knocked on the window and called his name, there was no answer, she brushed aside the possibility that he wasn't there and grabbed a stone. With all her strength she hurled it at the glass and it shattered. _He can fix it._

"Rumple!" she called out as she climbed though the frame, careful to avoid the broken shards. "Rumpelstiltskin!" The great hall, the dining table, the artifacts, they were all still there, although now covered in thick layers of dust. Belle smiled despite herself, knowing that he had not gotten anyone else to clean since her. There was absolutely no sight of him, her voice echoed as she called him again.

"It's Belle! Regina took me prisoner! Rumple where are you?" she called out as loud as she could. But the only response was silence, _he's off making a deal, he's on a journey, he'll be back in no time._ She told herself.

Belle walked around the ghost room that she was so familiar with, it felt as though she had never left, she didn't know what she would tell him when he returned but there was no way she was leaving. She walked around the room, the dust certainly was thick, much too thick… She walked over to the pedestals, the Golden Fleece, the Gauntlet, they were all still here though much dirtier.

Her heart stopped when she saw an object that had not been there before, it was an inherently worthless item, small and delicate, not magical at all, but it was more important that anything in the castle. What once stood on the pedestal was a chalice, something Rumpelstiltskin claimed was gained from King Midas himself, the very object that had given him the Golden Touch when he drank from it in a deal he made. The chalice had been cast aside like an old rag and replaced with something else.

Her chipped cup.

Belle felt her heart lift, her cup, he had kept her cup and treated it like a treasure. _He loves me, he still loves me!_ A smile took over her face as she reached out to it, light and porcelain, the noticeable chip brought back her first light memory of him. To him it was obviously far more than 'just a cup' and she knew that now. With the cup still in hand Belle wandered around the rest of the room, she drove a finger across the table to collect some of the dust that had gathered. _So much dust, why is there so much dust?_ Worry started to fill her again. _Why would he leave? He would have taken his things, his wheel, but there's so much dust._

She made her way to the spinning wheel and her worries seemed to cement themselves. _His wheel, oh gods, his wheel._ All the dust in the room and she didn't think of this, the spinning wheel was covered in dust as well, this couldn't be, he had never gone so long without spinning that the wheel would actually gather dust. _No, no, this all has to be some horrible joke._

With her grip on the cup careful and tight she ventured throughout the deserted rooms, desperate for some sign of him, but there wasn't.

 _Is he dead?_

 _Did he move and really abandon all of his possessions?_

 _Is he dead?_

 _Belle, don't be stupid, he's the Dark One, no one could kill him._

The room seemed to be spinning, she didn't plan this, he could not be gone. He could NOT be gone. She felt abandon, betrayed, how could he be gone? Belle became frantic as she searched her mind for possibilities, Rumpelstiltskin had vanished, how was that possible? _No, this this is impossible._ But she knew the truth, wherever he was it was not at the Dark Castle, but she knew something else, that she would find him.

Belle prepared everything she could, she went to the upstairs and found a leather satchel that would suit a journey, there were wardrobes with her clothing that were untouched. She took a traveling cloak, boots, and not a dress but a leather top and pants that would suit her journey. She rolled her eyes as she remembered the outlandish wardrobe of Rumpelstiltskin, a wardrobe Belle admitted to herself was, in her mind, quite suited him. She put her hair up and completed the outfit with a sword holder. In the satchel she packed some books from the library that contained maps and guides, she packed as much of the gold that was left from Rumpelstiltskin's spinning. After she had gotten everything she assumed she would need for a long journey she found a sword and placed it in the holder.

Belle finally took the chipped cup and placed it in her bag where it wouldn't break and left the castle.

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The prisoner was talking to himself again, the guards were instructed to ignore him although the prisoner seemed to pay them no attention. Instead he partook in imaginary conversations with the wall. But to him they weren't walls, they were memories, ghosts, regrets. He looked into the invisible faces of the people he lost and loved. Some who had loved him back and all he was sure he would never see again. The guards did not hear any of what he said, they all assumed it was nonsense.

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"You're looking for the Dark One?" asked shop woman, baffled at the question Belle had just asked. Once she had returned to Nottingham she had questioned everyone she could about information regarding Rumpelstiltskin. No one seemed to know anything about his whereabouts, from what she understood no one had seen the Dark One in months.

"Yes, I need his help," Belle responded, this was the lie she had used when people questioned her, she didn't think the results would be in her favor if she told the truth. "I heard he's a deal maker and I need his magic."

The shopkeeper shook her head, "I can't help you and even if I could I wouldn't, I've heard stories about the Dark One girl, all his deals have horrible prices from what I've heard." And with that she went back to her work.

Belle decided that no one in the town would help her or have the information she needed, when she ventured to the next town no one was any help there either, after days of travel she was beginning to grow hopeless.

Until her sixth day of travel, when she stopped a traveler on the road as she was desperate for any form of help, "Excuse me." She called out in a weak voice. The man diving the cart turned his head and signaled the horse to slow stop.

"What are you doing out here all alone? The woods are no place for a maiden." Belle was annoyed by the comment but she brushed it aside.

"I-I was wondering if you knew anything about the location of the Dark One?" she asked, the response was not one she expected.

"Didn't you hear? The Dark One was finally captured by Queen Snow White and King James, why do you want to know?" Belle felt her heart soar, her eyes widened and her mouth opened. _He's alive, he's alive, HE'S ALIVE._ That fact raced around her mind, all the time in prison, all the worrying, all the traveling would pay off because she would see him again.

"T-Thank you." She breathed, she reached into her bag to retrieve her book of maps, the kingdom of Snow White and King James would take some time but she could make it in a couple days.

"Why are you smiling? Don't you know the stories of the Dark One?" asked the traveler, Belle looked for a lie.

"Oh, I'm just happy that he's been captured." She said, hoping it was convincing. The traveler nodded and continued on. Belle turned to the east, where the map said the kingdom was. It was miles and miles away but she was so close to him.

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3 days later

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"Your majesty," the knight came up to Snow White as she walked along the hallway, the knight kneeled down as he approached the Queen. "There is a woman at the entrance, she has requested an audience with you."

"Do you think she's a threat?" Snow asked with burrowed eyebrows, the knight shook his head. "I don't believe so, she had a sword on hand but she un-armed herself when we asked, she simply asked for an audience."

"Well bring her in then." Snow said as she followed the knight to the main hall. Charming was already in throne room when she arrived. As Snow White sat down on the seat next to him the doors opened and a woman with brunette curls and clad in a leather outfit was escorted by two knights. She looked nervous but also ecstatic.

"Your majesty," the woman said as she gave a polite bow, "thank you for allowing this audience, I can't tell you how much this means to me." The woman had a foreign accent, she had obviously traveled a long way.

"What is your name?" asked King James.

"Belle, Belle of Avalon." She said, "I'm the daughter of King Maurice but that has nothing to do with why I'm here." Snow and Charming looked at each other, Avalon was not a warring country but not an ally country either. "What is your purpose for this audience?"

Belle shifted around uncomfortably, she glanced at the guards knowing that there was no way to see Rumpelstiltskin with them around, "I-I would like to request that I speak with the both of you privately, I don't think it's wise to have prying ears." She tried, the royals eyed her suspiciously, "I am completely honest when I say that I mean you no harm, I am completely un-armed and I'm sure you could defeat me if you needed, but I need a private audience."

Snow White was suspicious but she saw no lie in Belle's speech or eyes. She placed a hand on Charming's arm, faced him, and nodded. She signaled the guards to leave and when the room was empty, Belle watched them leave and when she heard the door shut she asked the burning question.

"Is it true that you hold Rumpelstiltskin as a prisoner?" she practically blurted out. Charming suddenly stood up and reached for his sword, Snow White pulled him back and Belle stepped back slightly but kept her posture.

"Yes it is true." Said Snow White

"If you're here to make a deal with him we can assure you that that is not a wise choice." Said Charming firmly as he sat back down. "Whatever help you need we can surly provide assistance."

Belle felt her breath return to her, "No that's not it, I need to see him for a different reason, and he's not dangerous, not to me at least." She smiled to herself, Snow White and Charming eyed her, both puzzled.

"What do you mean he's not dangerous to you?" asked Charming.

Belle looked for an answer that would allow her to see him, "For the past few years I was held prisoner by Regina, I was released when she died and I've been searching for him ever since." Belle stepped a little closer to the royals, "With all due respect I have been separated from him for a very long time and I need to see him."

"Why would you want to see Rumpelstiltskin?" Snow White asked, she was convinced this was either some sort of a joke or some sort of a trick, "He's evil, he's a monster, we were lucky to capture him." Belle shook her head.

"No, he's not really a monster, he thinks he is but he's not." She searched for an explanation, "I made a deal with him a long time ago, he saved my kingdom and I went to be his caretaker at his Castle, I got to know him and he's not what everyone says he is."

Snow and Charming were both convinced that this woman had been manipulated or had a spell on her or something of that sort, "So you want to see Rumpelstiltskin?" Charming clarified.

Belle nodded vigorously, "Yes, please." _So close, he's so close, Rumple I am coming._

"Belle if he had done something to you I'm sure we can help you but despite what he might have told you he is dangerous."

Belle was determined, she was so close and nothing would stop her from reaching him, _I will never stop fighting for him,_ the memory of her capture and the words she had thrown at Regina echoed to her. "No, you're wrong and I need to see him, please. I've been separated from him for too long." She said as sincerely as she could. "Please."

Snow recognized the look on Belle's face, she had felt it many times when she was separated from Charming, but she couldn't quite believe it.

"Why exactly do you want to see him?" Snow asked her, Belle looked and was completely desperate.

"Because he's my true love."

Snow and Charming couldn't quite believe what they heard, they both stared at Belle as if she had spoken utter gibberish. Then Charming remembered something.

 _"What do you know of True Love?"_

 _"Well perhaps not so much as you but not so little as you might think."_

 _"You, you loved somebody?"_

 _"She was a brief flicker of light amongst an ocean of darkness."_

 _"What happened?"_

 _"She died."_

Rumpelstiltskin had been in love once and Charming knew this. But the woman he had spoken of was dead so the woman standing before them could not possibly be his True Love.

 _But Regina, she did say they were separated…no it can't be_

"That's impossible." He said finally, after a long moment of silence, Belle stepped closer to them, obviously not afraid of royals or anything, her face show anger but also desperation. "Rumpelstiltskin once spoke of a woman he loved but he said she died."

"He did?" Snow White asked after being completely quiet.

Belle once again shook her head, "No, Regina captured me and I've been gone for a very long time, he could believe that I'm dead but I really do love him and I need to see him." She spoke quickly and her voice escalated in volume, she reached into her pouched and retrieved the chipped cup and presented it to them.

"If you do not believe me then go and question him yourself, show him this, I dropped this cup and left that chip the first day I was at his castle. He will remember me." Her eyes were growing wet, "Please believe me."

Snow White leaned over to Charming and whispered in his ear, "Do you think she's under some sort of spell?" Charming didn't know but the memory of Rumpelstiltskin talking about the woman he loved was telling him that Belle was telling the truth. "No, she can't be, magic can't make someone fall in love." He whispered back. Snow shot him a look.

They turned back to Belle who was waiting in anticipation, "We will go see him and question him, until then you should wait here." Belle breathed out, she handed them the cup, "Show him this, and please be careful with it." Snow took the cup and treated it gingerly. Belle stood still as she watched the royals as they ventured to the dungeon.

"How do you know she's telling the truth?" Snow asked Charming once they were out of the room.

"I don't, I just have a feeling." Replied Charming, they were silent until the reached the dungeon. They passed the guards and made their way down the stairs, their steps echoed as they reached the underground path. Snow and Charming grew closer and closer until they were just ten feet away from the cell.

Three months prior when Regina had been captured Snow White had insisted that they should not have killed her, that they should have given her a chance. Charming thought otherwise, so they went to Rumpelstiltskin and asked him to look into the future. He told them that Regina would cast a powerful curse that would cause them to be separated from their future child. Although Snow thought Regina could change she agreed that for the sake of their child it would be best to execute the Evil Queen. They had not been to the dungeon since.

Rumpelstiltskin was not in sight when they got closer to the cell, they knew he had not escaped for it was impossible. "Rumpelstiltskin!" called out Charming. A response came from above, a maniacal giggle. They craned their necks to see the figure of Rumpelstiltskin hanging from the metal bars of the ceiling. His eyes were wide open and half of his face was buried in shadow, there was a silhouette of an eerie grin. He dropped from the ceiling and landed on his feet. The Dark One stepped closer and grasped the bars, he was looking straight into the eyes of the king and queen.

"Well if it isn't Snow White and Prince Charming!" he said in a high-pitched, farcical manor. Snow White stepped back slightly but she knew there was nothing that he could do to them. "Come to gloat? No, you need something, that's it! Well I would provide my services but- oh wait, I don't think that's in my best interest." He let out another maniacal giggle and distanced himself from the bars.

"Well you're wrong, we didn't come for your help." Said Charming as firmly as he could.

"Oh, so what could you possibly want then? Just enjoy my company." Rumpelstiltskin's eerie smile had not left his face.

"Hardly." Retorted Charming.

"Rumpelstiltskin, do you… do you know a woman named Belle?" asked Snow White quietly. At her name Rumpelstiltskin's head shot up, his dark eyes piercing into Snow White's, sending chills though her.

 _Belle, dead, Belle, Belle, dead._

Her ghost had been haunting him for years.

In his cell he saw faces, or people, they were never really there. He saw his son and he apologized to him over and over. About how he had failed to get back to him and how he had been trying for so many years. The ghost of Baelfire did not forgive him.

He saw the ghost of his father and his ex-wife, they taunted him and told him to look at the place he had brought himself to.

He saw the ghost of Belle, he told her how sorry he was, how he thought it was his fault that she was dead, he cursed himself, her father, Regina, mostly himself. _I had no right to love you._ He told her memory over and over again. Her ghost agreed with him, he never imagined that she loved him, he thought that would be an insult to her memory.

And her name had just escaped the tongue of Snow White. His body bolted forward and gripped the bars. "What do you know about her?" at that moment he did not care what the royals knew or didn't know.

"You said once that you loved someone, was that her name?" asked Charming, this time less firm.

"Ah! So you have come to taunt me?" responded Rumpelstiltskin, "Now tell me, what do you know about her?" he reached out to the royals before they backed away, Charming drew his sword.

"So you do know her, tell us, was she the woman you loved?" asked Snow White in a calmer voice. She saw a look in the eyes of the Dark One that she never thought she would see. It was regret and loss and sadness and love.

"Yes," he said though gritted teeth, as though admitting he loved someone physically stung him. "Now what do you know about her?" he said though gritted teeth.

"You answer our questions and we answer yours." Responded Charming firmly again. "You said she died, how did she die?"

Rumpelstiltskin scoffed in frustration, "That's not usually how I do things but I'm not exactly in the position to argue. Her father locked her in a tower and tortured her, she jumped off after a while and died." He said in a low voice, as though this was a sentence he had said many times.

Snow White and Charming looked at each other, the cup that Belle had given Snow White was still carefully held in her now sweating hands behind her back. She took it from behind her and showed the chipped side to Rumpelstiltskin. His eyes widened and he instantly reached out to it and managed to take it from her hand.

"Where did you get this?" he practically growled as he grasped the cup tightly as if it was the only thing in the world that mattered.

"We still have questions, how did you know her?" asked Charming, taken aback by the unexpected action of The Dark One.

"I made a deal with her." He said in a low voice, turning the cup over in his hands over and over.

"How did you-," Charming started but Snow White placed a hand on his arm.

"Thank you." Said Snow White, Rumpelstiltskin did not hear her, he was too focused on the cup in his hand. They turned around and began to walk down the hallway that lead them out of the dungeon.

"So it is true." Said Snow as Rumpelstiltskin was out of earshot. "He did love her." She was astonished and she still couldn't quite believe it. "When did he tell you about her?"

"It was a long time ago, after Regina captured me I was stuck in this forest and he got me out of it. He mentioned that he loved someone, someone who died." Responded Charming.

"But Belle is alive." Said snow, "She said Regina captured her, do you think she told him that she died?"

"It's possible." Said Charming as they emerged from the dark underground and returned to the palace. As they returned to the throne room Belle was pacing around, she turned her head as she heard Snow White and Charming return.

"So, what did he say?" she asked, she noticed that the cup was not with Snow White. "Where's the cup?"

"He has it," she said, Snow White looked into Belles eyes and saw the longing and hope that was flooding them. "We believe you Belle."

Belle smiled widely, "Can I see him then?" _I'm almost there Rumple._

"There is a complication though." Said Charming, Belle gave a puzzled look, "According to Rumpelstiltskin you're dead."

 _He thinks I'm dead? Is that why he didn't find me?_ "Regina, she probably told him that." Responded Belle, the only logical conclusion she could come to, "If you believe me then you'll let me see him won't you?" she pleaded.

"Of course," Snow White motioned for Belle to follow her. "So Rumpelstiltskin is your True Love?" she asked her as the three of them made their way back to the dungeons. Belle nodded and smiled.

"How is that possible? He's a, well he's…" Charming trailed off.

"He's not a monster." Belle said quickly, "Everyone thinks he is, he thinks he is but he's really not." Snow and Charming looked at her, both puzzled. "I spent a long time with him, it took me a while to get to know him but when I did I knew there was just a good man trying to get out, he almost did too."

"What do you mean? He was a man once?" Snow White had heard stories about Rumpelstiltskin, more legends, about how he came to be. Very little was known about the Dark One and how he came to be. The thought of him once being an ordinary man had never occurred to her.

Belle nodded, "He's cursed really, I almost broke it but he… he thought I was working for the Queen and trying to defeat him." She said, sadly this time.

"So what happened?" asked Charming, they were nearly to the entrance that lead to the dungeon.

"He thought I couldn't love him, he got scared and told me to leave. I traveled for a bit and when I decided to go back to him Regina captured me and I guess she told him that I was dead." They arrived at the door, the guard at the door took out the key and unlocked it. Belle felt her breath stop, _So close, Rumple I'm almost here._

They made their way down the stairs, along the hallway, Belle could see a flicker of light at the end; torches that lite the outside of his cell. Belle saw a figure in the cell, clad in leather, his back was turned and he was sitting down. She heard him speaking but she couldn't hear what he was saying. Her feet began to run towards the cell, towards him.

 _Rumpelstiltskin I'm here._

Belle passed Snow and Charming, who both ended up stopping to witness the scene. Belle could feel the realness of the moment hit her, he was there, she could see him, she had found him.

"Rumple!" she said loudly. He turned around and she looked at him with new eyes. He was the same as before, the grey-green skin, his dark eyes, the curly shoulder length hair, Rumpelstiltskin was there in front of her. In front of Belle, she kneeled down to the floor and positioned herself right in front of the cell, he was a few feet away from her, far too far in her opinion. Her hands wrapped around the bars and she saw the chipped cup in his hands, their eyes met and all the time they were separated suddenly didn't matter.

"Belle." He said her name in a way that wasn't anything like she expected. He said it as though she was dead, his dark eyes were full of sadness and softness.

"Rumple." She whispered, he turned around and moved closer to her, his hands still on the cup. "I'm here."

He looked at her sadly, "You're not real."

"What? No, Regina lied, I'm really here." She told him, he was too far to reach and he didn't move any closer, he ran his thumb across the chip on the cup.

Belle felt her heart sink, _No, no this is all wrong._ She reached out to him and extended her hand, still he didn't move. "No you aren't." he responded, Belle's mouth opened, words escaped her, he thought she was dead, he thought she wasn't real.

"Rumple, please." She said desperately. "I'm not dead, I'm really here."

Rumpelstiltskin shook his head, he tried to imagine something else, he tried to imagine her leaving like she always did in his visions, but she wasn't moving. _You're not supposed to do this, I don't deserve this, Belle, dead, fake, this is fake. Belle._ "It's my fault, it's all my fault…" he trailed off and his vision became unfocused.

Belle didn't know what he was talking about but she shook her head, "No it's not, please, I'm. Really. Here." She stated. _Please Rumple._

 _Wrong, dead, Belle, fake, dead, fake._

Her voice seemed so real but he thought otherwise, he jerked back, cup still in hand. _You aren't real._ He repeated inside his head, Belle looked heartbroken, he couldn't bear to see that look on her face, he tried as hard as he could to mentally replace that look with anger or happiness but he couldn't. Rumpelstiltskin moved back to the darkest corner of the cell, out of sight.

Belle could feel tears rolling down her face, this couldn't be real, "Rumple…", words wouldn't come out. She stood up and tried to look at him but she couldn't see him in the darkness.

Snow White and Charming looked over the whole scene, they didn't hear anything that was said but they saw what had happened.

Belle walked backwards and turned around, her eyes were full of tears,"He-he really thinks I'm dead …" Belle took a glance back to the cell, she still couldn't see him. _He thought I was just a vision…oh gods. Rumple what have they done to you?_ She was furious with the King and Queen, for locking him away and turning him to madness, she didn't say this out loud.

Belles looked at the royals and then back at the cell. "Please, could I go in there with him?"

"I'm not sure…" Charming started.

"Yes." Snow White said, she knew that Rumpelstiltskin was powerless in the cell, and no matter what Rumpelstiltskin did in the past Snow White believed in True Love over anything. She took the keys from Charming and went over to the secret lock in the wall, as she turned the key three of the bars opened up, just quickly enough for Belle to slip though before they closed again.

Belle stepped closer to the dark corner and Rumpelstiltskin grew easier to see, his eyes were glossy and he was gripping the cup tighter than before. Belle kneeled down next to him. Rumpelstiltskin seemed to be unaware she was right in front of him. "Hey." She whispered to him, she was hesitant but she reached out to touch his hand and he flinched when her finger touched his skin. She pulled her hand back. "Rumple, it's me Belle, I-I'm not dead." She said as quietly as she could, Rumpelstiltskin's stare stayed unfocused.

 _Belle, dead, Belle, cup, dead, my fault, tower, Belle, dead._

Rumpelstiltskin was backed into the dark corner of the cell, he could feel a body, he could hear a voice, but he did not allow himself to believe that it was really her.

 _Dead, dead, dead, my fault._

Belle tried to move closer to Rumpelstiltskin, a normal person would call her brave but she did not see it as bravery, she saw it as trying to find the man she loved. A man who she once lost to darkness and now she feared she was loosing him to madness. Belle held back her tears, she was determined not to leave him this time, determined to bring out the man that was trapped somewhere deep inside. She knew now that it would be harder than ever.

Rumpelstiltskin wanted her to be there, he wanted more than ever for the woman he loved to be alive and in front of him but he told himself it wasn't possible. _She's dead and it's your fault._ Ever since Regina had brought him the news he had went over the story of what had happened, or what he thought had happened, over and over again. He had made her leave, she had gone back to her father, her father punished her because she loved him, a fact that he had refused to believe until it was too late. _Dead, dead, Belle, dead, my fault._

He hated Prince Charming, he didn't hate him before since he knew that one day his daughter would be the Savior that would allow him to find his son. But Snow White and Prince Charming had destroyed that possibility when they executed Regina. All the years he had spent making the curse and setting everything into place were now completely wasted. Then they had locked him up and restricted him from using magic. And now, now they had brought back the memories of her, Belle, whom he had tried for so many months to forget. He knew that it was futile, no matter what he did, how much he spun, how much time went by, he knew he would never truly forget her.

 _Where did they get the cup?_ A sane thought crept into his mind at last.

Memories of Belle had come flooding back to him the second Snow White had said her name.

 _Empty heart, chipped cup, empty heart, chipped cup, empty heart, chipped cup…_ Were repeated in his mind over and over until they made it into his speech. "Empty heart, chipped cup, empty heart, chipped cup, empty heart, chipped cup, chipped heart, empty cup, chipped cup, empty heart…" he said in rhythm.

Belle let out a choked sob as she listened to the words he repeated, she remembered her final words to him, vividly, she had replayed that moment in her head more times than she could have counted when she was imprisoned. The memory always stung her but to hear the words come in his voice was like a dagger to her stomach.

"Rumple please, look at me." She said in a pained voice. "Look at me."

Rumpelstiltskin blinked, for a moment his eyes worked, he could see her white face in the darkness, her sapphire eyes and ruby lips. There were tears running down her face and she was speaking his name. _No, she's dead, dead, Belle, dead._

He couldn't move away from the corner in which she had trapped him in, he wanted to move away, to escape her memory, her ghost. But he couldn't.

Belle gently reached out and grabbed his hand that wasn't holding the chipped cup, he would have bolted back if he wasn't already pressed against the wall. There was a hand, warm and soft, holding his left hand and squeezing it. Rumpelstiltskin blinked and for a moment he saw her in the darkness.

 _So real, you seem so real. No, you, Belle can't, dead._

Belle's hand shook, she followed his eyes which had yet to meet hers but she saw that they were becoming less unfocused. She tightened her grip on his hand and tried to pull him towards her but his body became stiff and he jerked his hand away.

"Rumple." She said, _Please don't do this again._

"You're not real." He said in a darker voice, Belle backed away slightly. Rumpelstiltskin stood up and walked towards the bars. "YOU are not real!" he said, darker and louder. Belle walked backwards and distanced herself from him.

"Rumple, look at me, I'm real, I'm alive." She told him fiercely, _I am not loosing you again._ But he didn't listen.

"You are dead!" he practically yelled, "Why are you trying to trick me dearie? You are dead!" Belle looked into his eyes, he had finally realized she was there but the entire thing was wrong. Belle had imagined what their reunion would be like but this was far from the vision she had thought of.

"Belle." Said Charming, he motioned for her to return to the outside of the cell, after the bars momentarily opened she slipped back outside, Rumpelstiltskin returned out of sight.

 _No, no, no, no this cannot be happening again._

"What's happened to him?" Belle managed as she regained clear thoughts, she turned towards the astonished royals, Snow White and Charming had listened to the entire scene, they couldn't make out most of it but they did see and hear the last bit. Rumpelstiltskin was convinced that the woman he loved was dead and that it was his fault. As much as Snow White and Charming didn't trust and didn't like Rumpelstiltskin they knew that this was something they had to help fix.

"He's been in that cell for a while," said Snow White, "the guards say that he talks to himself a lot."

"When did you last see him?" asked Charming to Belle, who had by now wiped the tears away.

"Almost two and a half years, how long has he been in that cell?" she asked in response. "And why is he there in the first place?"

"About a year." Said Snow White, "He had made a deal with a friend of ours, Princess Ella, but his price was too treacherous, he requested her first born child. We helped her and used magical ink to transport him to this cell." And Belle snapped.

"So you locked him up because your friend backed out of a deal?" Belle didn't like the price that Rumpelstiltskin had put up for what ever he had given this princess, but learning why he was in the prison that was driving him mad made her livid, "I know Rumple, he always tells a person what he wants for his deals, and he would never hurt a child." The memory of Rumpelstiltskin sparing Robin Hood's life flashed in her mind.

"Belle, I know that you think that he wouldn't but…" started Snow White but Belle cut her off.

"I know for a fact that he wouldn't, he was going to kill a man because he stole from him but he didn't kill him because he saw that his wife was pregnant, I don't think he should have taken the child, but he would never have done anything to hurt it. This friend of yours made a deal, and you locked him up for it." Belle exclaimed assertively. "I know him, he's not what you think, and if you let me I can help him."

Snow and Charming looked at Belle, both had the image of the Dark One clear in their minds ever since they met him, both thought of him as evil and deceiving, far from a man, yet here was a woman telling them otherwise. Neither of them knew how to respond.

"You said… you said that he was a man at one point, that he's cursed." Said Charming, trying to come up with a plan of some sort. "And you also said that you almost broke it?"

Belle nodded, "Yes, but he thought I was working for Regina and trying to take away his power."

"So if his curse breaks, then he'll be powerless?" asked Snow, intrigued by the new information about the Dark One.

"I believe so, and the darkness inside of him should be gone, he would be an ordinary man." Said Belle, she knew where the royals were taking this conversation and she was beyond skeptic.

"So you could break his curse with True Loves Kiss?" asked Snow White, Belle nodded.

"I don't know how I could, or if he would want me too, it didn't go so well the last time. And he thinks I'm dead so I don't know how it would work." Said Belle

Breaking his curse had been in her mind ever since she learned that Rumpelstiltskin had once been a man, she saw how the darkness tortured him, how there was a man desperately trying to get out. But she didn't know what would happen or how he would react once his curse was broken.

But she knew he loved her.

Belle saw how he looked when he saw her, when he saw her and thought she was a ghost. There was regret and sadness, looks that she had only seen on him when he talked about his son. She saw how he cradled her cup and she knew that no matter how mad he was that he loved her. Belle knew that she could still break his curse.

"I think you could." Said Snow White. She leaned over to look at the dark cell that Rumpelstiltskin was deep inside, "And without his dark powers he would no longer be a threat, he could be free."

Belle looked over at the same spot, she wanted him to be better, her Rumple, she wanted the darkness out of him, the madness, everything that lead him to the state he was currently in. She knew she could save him, and Belle decided that she had to no matter what it took.

"I'll try, but he's completely convinced that I'm dead, I-I couldn't…" Belle closed her eyes and regained her composure, _I've been waiting too long, he's not gone, not on my watch. "_ I'm going to save him." She declared. Snow White nodded and slowly went over to the wall and once again turned the key to allow Belle entry into the cell. She slipped in once again and slowly made her way over to the dark corner that she thought Rumpelstiltskin was hiding in but as she got closer it was clear that he wasn't in the dark corner. She looked around the cell and gasped when she saw that Rumpelstiltskin was hanging upside-down, the cup still in hand.

"Rumple." She said as she faced him, put up both of her hands and cupped his face. "Look at me." His dark eyes met hers for the first time in a while and Belle broke into a smile.

 _Belle, Belle, Belle, Belle, blue eyes, Belle, Belle, dead-no alive, dead, alive, Belle._

Rumpelstiltskin blinked repetitively and he finally saw her clearly, he saw her face. She was upside-down but she was clear. He realized the reality of her eyes, the eyes that had haunted him for so long were finally human. He felt her hands on his face, he tried hard to shake the feeling, which always worked, but this time they remained. Her hands were warm and soft and real.

 _Belle, real, alive, alive, real, Belle, alive, real, here._

His grip on the cup tightened, he looked into her eyes, he really looked, he looked to see if they were fake but they weren't. Belle was real, Belle was alive, Belle was there with him. His hand that wasn't holding the cup reached over and slightly squeezed her shoulder. _Real, real, real._

"Belle."

Rumpelstiltskin finally let her name escape his lips, he let her name come out coated with love and realization. Her eyes widened when he spoke her name and her smile somehow widened.

"I'm alive." She said, her voice was clear, her voice was the same, her words became real.

"Belle."

Belle let out a sound that was between a laugh and a sob, "I love you." She let out. The words she had been meaning to say to him for such a long time. Rumpelstiltskin's hand came up from her shoulder and gently stroked her cheek, he had registered the words, they were words she had never actually said to him before but he had imagined them coming from her lips in the past. And in her voice, there they were.

"Yes," he said in return, Belle kept her smile and brought his forehead to hers as Rumpelstiltskin said the words she had longed to hear for years, "and I love you too." And they were with each other, both fully aware of the other's existence, and both incredibly in love with the other.

"I'm going to get you out." She whispered to him. And she stood up on her toes so their mouths were parallel, then gently pressed her mouth against his.

Rumpelstiltskin felt something inside of him, it was as though a light was taking over every fragment of darkness within him. On the outside his grey-green skin was overtaken by a normal tan, his curly hair grew straight and brown, Belle didn't dare open her eyes this time, afraid of what might happen, but she found she couldn't help herself.

"Belle-" he mumbled as Belle pulled away to look at the result, she saw that once again the darkness was leaving him, the face of a man was busting though, she cut him off and kissed him again. Rumpelstiltskin felt as though there was a thick layer of dirt covering him that was quickly being washed away.

And the curse of the Dark One was gone, the darkness left the heart of Rumpelstiltskin, he looked normal on the outside and on the inside he felt a heavy burden leave his soul. He realized what had happened and pulled Belle closer with his free hand, through the kiss she was still smiling.

Until his leg gave in, he fell from the pipe from which he was hanging from and suddenly the pain returned to him. He had forgotten about that, as he fell he held onto the chipped cup. Belle stepped back and sat down beside the man that was Rumpelstiltskin. He looked up and she saw his normal face for the first time.

"Rumple?" said Belle, she studied his face, his hair, his hands, his entire person. One she had briefly glimpsed at the last time she tried to break his curse. She could hear him breathing heavily, he was still facing the ground, recovering from over 300 years of darkness leaving his soul. Rumpelstiltskin lifted his face and looked at Belle.

"Wha-what just.." he said, he registered how his voice had returned to his original accent, the voice he had completely forgotten by that point. He could see his hands in the faint light of the cell, no longer were they grey-green and his fingernails were no longer black pointy, normal, normal hands, his hands.

 _Please don't be mad, don't do it again._ Thought Belle, her body was frozen but her expression was busting with joy. His eyes were brown, they were not covered in darkness like they used to be, but they were a deep brown. And they were completely attached to her blue ones. Belle felt her tense body ease up a bit. "Rumple I… I broke your curse." She managed, "I needed to so I could get you out of here." She stood up and extended her hand out to him and he hesitantly took it.

"You're alive." He said and the fact of Belle's existence suddenly became clearer than ever, "You're alive."

She nodded and reached over to his hand, grabbed it, and pulled him up, his injured leg caused him to tripped into her. She caught him, and was able to bring him up and he was able to stand, one hand still wrapped around the cup, the other was holding onto her shoulder. He refused to blink, almost sure that Belle would fade out of existence if he did.

"You're real." He breathed out, and Belle smiled and nodded furiously, she brought him closer. She felt his hair and he buried his lower face in her neck, "Belle."

"I'm here." She responded. "Let's get out of here." They started towards the opening of the cell, which had been unlocked by Snow White moments before. Rumpelstiltskin limped over and Belle noticed his injury. Rumpelstiltskin closed his eyes and sighed at the reminder of his limp, "I'm sorry." He said, looking down at his leg, but Belle just shook her head, "Don't worry about it." And she helped him walk.

Snow White and Charming stood wide eyed at the scene that had unfolded and couldn't shake their astonishment as the Dark One transformed into an ordinary man, never since they had met Rumpelstiltskin had they thought of what he was like as a man, the person standing in front of them didn't seem real.

Belle helped him as they walked she didn't exactly have a plan in mind but she knew they could return to the Dark Castle. She had no idea what would happen but she was too stuck in the moment of finding him.

"Thank you." Belle said to the royals as they made their way out the dungeon. Rumpelstiltskin glance at them for a moment and gave a slight nod, signifying his appreciation for their help in reuniting him with his love. Snow and Charming were still too shocked to make out words but nodded in response.

Belle and Rumpelstiltskin made their way out of the dungeon and eventually out of the castle, he clung onto her and she ended up doing the same, the pair desperate not to let the other slip through their fingers again.

"What happened to you?" Rumpelstiltskin asked, finally breaking the silence.

"Regina locked me up, I got out when she was executed." Belle responded calmly, she could see anger arise in his face, "but she's dead so you don't have to worry about it, okay?"

He looked into her eyes again and the anger managed to disappear for a moment, "Why did you come back for me?" he asked, the question he had been wondering since he had realized that she was alive. She stopped in their tracks and made him face her.

"Rumpelstiltskin, I am furious that you sent me away and told me that my love wasn't real, but I do and always have loved you, and I refused to stop fighting for you." She told him assertively

He reached out and cupped her face again, "After all I did." She reached up and pressed the palm of her hand to the back of his.

"I was locked away for two years and not a day went by when I didn't think of you. And no matter what, I am not letting you go again." She told him, smiling brightly and he returned the smile.

"You can count on that dearie." He told her.

And they both leaned into each other, wrapped their arms around each other, and their lips met once again.

 **Wow I didn't expect this to be that long. Thanks for reading please review.**


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